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Five rhinophyma patients treated with a fractional ablative CO2 laser had good cosmetic results and few complications, according to a presentation at the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery's annual meeting. All patients experienced complete re-epithelialization within a week, and edema and erythema were limited, the lead researcher said. The technique used in the study allowed for significant debulking with fewer passes and feathering at the periphery for a blended effect.

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Surgery, sclerotherapy and laser ablation relieve pain, swelling and itchiness associated with varicose veins, but laser ablation is associated with the lowest risk of bruising and bleeding, researchers report in The New England Journal of Medicine. Patients who had laser ablation or surgery reported marginally higher quality-of-life scores six months after treatment compared with those who had sclerotherapy.

Ablative fractional resurfacing has advantages over older modalities, including a better safety profile and the ability to tailor treatments to patients' conditions and skin types, but dermabrasion can produce equivalent or better results, says plastic surgeon Daniel Baker. The injury induced by dermabrasion does not extend beyond the skin's surface and produces less hypopigmentation than fully ablative lasers or phenol peels, Baker says. "Because lasers are new technology, there’s tremendous marketing and hype behind them. But for those of us who’ve tried many of the lasers, there’s a bit of disappointment between what’s promoted and the results," he said.

Ablative fractional laser should be considered in combination with other therapies to treat burn and traumatic scars, according to a consensus document based on the experience of academic and military plastic surgeons. "Our consensus is that laser treatment, particularly ablative fractional resurfacing, deserves a prominent role in future scar treatment paradigms," the authors write. The report provides an algorithm for managing scars and shows how to use fractional resurfacing to improve functional and cosmetic outcomes, experts said.

Nanoparticle-encapsulated amphotericin b significantly reduced fungal biofilm activity in a burn wound model, compared with an untreated control model, researchers found. AmB-np also resulted in more advanced re-epithelialization, organized dermal proliferation and appropriate dermal remodeling compared with solubilized AmB and an untreated control model, according to the study in Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. AmB can be toxic to the liver at high doses and encapsulating it might reduce toxicity and allow topical burn treatment, the researchers said.

The FDA approved a lidocaine/tetracaine topical anesthetic cream from Nuvo Research and Galderma for superficial aesthetic procedures such as removing tattoos, injecting fillers or resurfacing using lasers. Possible side reactions include erythema, skin discoloration and edema.